Toy flying-machine.



w. 1;. LUGE. TOY FLYING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 13, 1909.

Patnted Feb. 21, 1911.

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W. B. LUGE.

TOY FLYING MACHINE. APPLIGATIOK FILED 00113, 1909.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

any;

the same,

To all whom 'it may concern WILLIAM L:UCE,JOF HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOY FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

' Application filed October 13, 1909. Serial No. 522,374.

B:e it-known that I, WILLIA B. LUCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hmgham, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new.

and useful Improvement Toy5Flying- Machines, W a full, clear, and exact same, such as 'will'nable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use reference being had to the accom- Panying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its objectto provide a novel and attractive toywin the form of an aeroplane which may be sent gracefully through the air for considerable distances. -The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter he IIlYlIlVGIltlOIl reference may be had to-the followingdetailed description taken in'connection with the accompanying drawings Wherein- Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively plan, side and front views of a preferred form of; my invention, Fig. 3 being on a somewhat a'rger scale than the other two figures; F ig: this an enlarged view showing a. fragment'of thedevice, the holder and starter being shown in section; Fig. 5 is a side elevation- 1% a modified form of my invention; and 1g. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, A represents a.small aeroplane securedupon the front end of a backbone B. C is a flat tailpiece or rudder attached to the rear end of the backbone. These parts may take any 'desired forms and. be constructed of any suitable materialfthe members A and C being preferably made of light tough card boardand'the member B of wood. Where cardboard or other fairly stiff material is used 'forthe'planes no supporting frame work i need be provided as these members may be attached directly to the backbone. The planes may, however, be built up'in any desired way as I do not wish to be limited, to any specific construction of these parts... For the sake of stiffness a thin strip of wood .or other suitable material may be attached to the main plane A so as to extend-transversely of the backbone. Moreover, a thinstiflening strip such as E, may

and declare the followingito be :description of the pointed out with particularity in; the claims, but for a full understanding of eitend from the backbone longitudinally of the tailpiece, thereby making the construction lighter than would be the case if the entire backbone were carried to the rear' end of the tailpiece. Directly in advance of the main plane is a propeller F, this propeller being conveniently carried upon the end of a shaft G which is journa-led in brackets H and H depending from the front end or nose of the backbone. In order to simplify and cheapen the construction, the propeller shaft may conveniently be made of a stiff wire upon one end of which the pro peller is soldered .or. otherwise fastened, the propeller being held away from the bracket H and the nose ofthe backbone by means of a small sleeve I. A second sleeve K surrounds the wire in rear of the bracket HP and, by bending the end of the wire laterally .as indicated iuFig. 4: it is prevented from slipping through the sleeve K and the propeller and its shaft are revolubly held in position. Onthe underside of the backbone is a downwardly-pro'ecting fin or rib L whichlies parallel with and in the same vertical plane as the propeller shaft. I

M isa handle having a notch m in its upper end of a size to receive the fin or rib L. Projecting laterally from the holder or handle is a revoluble spool N having therem an opening 11 sufficiently large to receive the sleeve K and a slot n for receiving the bent end 9 of the propeller shaft. .The parts are so proportioned that when therear, end of the fin or rib L is introduced into the notch in the upper end of the, holder, while the holder extends at right angles to the planes, the opening 01. in the spool is alincd w th the propeller shaft so that by moving the holder forward the spool may be'moupled to the propeller shaft as shown inFigsfQ and 4; the connection being such that when the spool is turned the propeller shaftmust rotate with it, while either may move away from the other in the direction of the axis of the propeller.

Iflprefer to make the spool as short as may be convenient in order that the holder may be brought as near the center of gravity as possible and thereby prevent the end of the propeller shaft from binding in the end of the spool. O is a cord or the like which is adapted to be wound upon the spool and to be unwound rapidly when it is desired to set the aeroplane in motion. The slots a. should be deep f" meniber must enough to permit the propeller to attain full speed before-being released.

Assuming that the aeroplane has been mounted upon the holder as shown in Fig. 2 and that the cord has been wound upon the spool: Then, upon holding the handle or holder in one hand and giving a sudden pull upon the cord, the pro )eller will be set in rapid motionand Wlll raw the aeroplane forward and clear of the holder. The aeroplane will now sail gracefully through the air until the energy stored up in the propeller has been expended, whereupon the aeroplane will sail to the ground. I prefer to make the pro eller rather heavy in order that considerab e energy may be stored up therein, this being accomplished either by making the propeller of heavy sheet metal or by adding weights, such as f, at the outer ends of the propeller blades, or by using both expedients; the mass which it is de sired to have in the propeller depending upon the length of the flights which it is desired to have the aeroplane make. Where the outer ends of the propeller blades are wei hted this may conveniently be done by placing drops of solder at these points.

In actual practice I have found that an aeroplane constructed in the manner described may be propelled so as to make flights of considerable len thasoaring gracefully through the air and descending with out mishap.

The device heretofore described is in the form of the simple monoplanebut the principle of my invention may be applied e ually well to biplanes or other forms of aerop anes. In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a biplane construction; P and P being the two main planes arranged one above the other'so as to provide a s ace between and Q being a box-sha ed tai which is connected to the main anes by means of rods or bars R extending rearwardly from the main planes to the four corners of the tail. .The propeller S may conveniently be mounted between the main planes and the tail, the rear end t of the propeller shaft -T being bent laterally as in the arrangement described. In this construction t 1e driving be inserted from the rear through the tailpiece and therefore a different kind ,of holder is required than in the 'other form. In the drawingI have illustrated a suitable holder in the form of a handle U having at the upper end a supporting platform or guideway. U. A spool V, corresponding to the spool N',"is journaled in bearings u and a e: a point diitectly in rear 'of the aeroplane when it is in position on the' holder.

. W is a shaft forming an extension of one of the shafts of the spool and of sufiicient revionsly lcn 'th to extend through the tailpiece and to the rear end of the propeller shaft. The

free end of the shaft W is provided with an opening to to receive the propeller shaftand a slot 'w to receivethc bent portion t of the shaft to form 'a driving connection similar to that shown in the other construe tion.

It will be seen that the weight of theaero- 7 plane is carried upon the holder independently of the propellin mechanism so that there is but little friction between the driving shaft and the propellenshaftwhen the aeroplane begins to move under the impulse given to 1t by the propeller. lirthls-arrangement a cord X is wound upon the spool" and, when the aeroplane is to be projected into the air a quick pull isgiven upon this 1;. cord so as to setrthe propeller in-rapid mo- 1f tion.

While I have shown in detail only two forms of my invention I donot desire to be limited to the particular constructions and arrangements illustrated, butintend to cover all embodiments of my invention falling. &

within the terms ofthe definitions. thereof constituting the appended claims. 1 .1. What I claim:

1. A toy flying machinecomprising. an

aeroplane, a bracket projecting beneath the aeroplane at the front thereof, a propeller...

shaft mounted in said bracket and extending U in front and rear thereof, apropeller on the front end of the shaft, the rear; end of the shaft having a laterally extending projection, a guide rib on the underside of the '10. 0

' aeroplane parallel with said propeller shaft,

a holder having a. slot for receiving sa d rib, a spool revolubly mounted on said holder and provided with an axial opening to receive the rear end of the propeller shaft, Y

said opening bein constructed and arranged 105, to lock the spool and the propellen shaft against relative rotary movement or permitting disengagement between thesame in the axial direction.

. 2. A toy flying machine comprising an aeroplane, a weighted revoluble propeller on'said aeroplane, a holder on which said aeroplane loosely rest-s, a revoluble member mounted on said holder in axial alinement with the propeller shaft, and interlocking shoulders between said member andthepro peller shaft arranged. to prevent relative rotary movements while at the same time permitting the propeller shaft to disengage itself in the axial direction.

In testimony whereof, sign this spoon ficat-ion in the presence oftwo witnes'ses WILLIAM- B. LUCEL; Witnesses: f f y p TH e nef JAS. H. Knanamh,v 

